Author's Note: So it just occurred to me: I've done a fic containing a child of Percy and Annabeth's that has already been born, and was furthermore babysat by Nico and Rachel, but I never did one with a pregnant Annabeth, and oh, if that isn't the best formula ever. A pregnant Annabeth and soon-to-be father Percy, and the soon-to-be honorary Aunt and Uncle/Babysitters, Rachel and Nico. So here is such a fic! It's really a prelude to my one-shot Babysitting with all the same pairings and mentioned pairings, but this one isn't a one-shot. It'll be three chapters long. Does that make it a three-shot. Someone, tell me.
However, this fic is as much about Percy and Annabeth's marriage and the birth of their (first?) child and the demigods and gods involvement, as it is simply about the dynamics with families in general. Especially Olympian families, which, I believe, we can all agree are the most epic of them all and have no comparison.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO.
I.
- The Announcement -
-o-
Interestingly enough, no one was more surprised than Nico.
"What?" he demanded when Percy and Annabeth broke the news to him and Rachel. "A baby? Like, a child? In you?" he demanded, pointing at Annabeth's stomach.
"Yes, Nico," Rachel explained. "You see, the baby stays in the womb for a period of nine months, and then - "
"I know how it works, Red," Nico said exasperatedly from his place standing behind the couch in Rachel's gigantic penthouse apartment. Rachel herself was sitting on the couch, and Annabeth and Percy stood before them, rather like two sixteen-year-olds, the girl admitting to her parents that she was pregnant, and he was the father, and please don't kill us. "I just can't believe it."
"Why?" Annabeth said, crossing her arms. There was absolutely no sign to her being pregnant yet; however there were lines under her eyes that Nico could swear weren't there a week ago, shrouded in dark bags. "And why do you keep looking at me all pointedly? If you're mad at anyone, you should be mad at Percy. He's the one who's done this to me."
"Hey!" Percy said, turning on Annabeth. "You did half the work, Wise Girl. I'd think you'd know that. You were, after all, there, and you weren't exactly protesting -"
"Ew, please let Nico respond now," Rachel said.
"Because you're - you're you!" Nico said to Annabeth, gesturing agitatedly at her general person. "You're the responsible one. The smart one. The one who takes precautions, and plans ahead, and makes sure accidents don't happen."
Rachel gasped slightly and Percy and Annabeth glared.
"Nico, you don't tell me what to do. I'm an adult, and, last time I checked, older than yourself."
"You're twenty-three!" Nico said. "And you're pregnant. Aren't you the one who just said a few months ago that you didn't think you'd have a child before thirty?"
"Oh, shut up," Annabeth spat, "you can't even drink legally."
Nico was clearly about to bite out a retort, but Rachel beat him to it, saying, "Annabeth, Percy, congratulations. I think it's wonderful that you two are having a kid."
Nico glared.
"And," Rachel went on, "I think that you should both move in with me."
Now it was Percy and Annabeth's turn to gawk. "What?" they said in unison.
"You guys are living in a shoebox you can barely pay the rent for right now," Rachel said. "That's hardly any environment for a pregnant woman, or the kid once it comes along. So, you guys can live with me while the demigod spawn grows, and look for a better apartment while you're at it."
"Rachel, we couldn't -" Annabeth began.
"Yeah, that's too much -" Percy protested.
"Just kill me now," Nico muttered.
"I have enough room," Rachel said, shrugging and ignoring Nico. "More than enough. And anyway -" Rachel got a nasty grin then, one that Nico, Percy, and Annabeth knew meant she had thought up a plan that would be really uncomfortable for at least one of them, "- Nico can help take care of Annabeth while she's pregnant."
"Like hell I will!" Nico said.
"I'd rather be taken care of by a Gorgon," Annabeth seethed.
"Well, it looks like neither of you will really have a choice," Rachel said, smiling. "You'll both be living under my roof, after all."
Rachel glanced at Nico, who poured all the malice he possibly could into his returning glare. She didn't even blink.
"I get enough shit for letting him stay here," Rachel said, jerking her thumb towards Nico. "Imagine how pissed Dad'll be when he finds out Percy's staying here, too!" She sighed contentedly.
-o-
A month later, Annabeth and Percy moved in.
Nico had given them both the silent treatment this entire time, not going with Rachel whenever she went to visit them while they packed. He had taken to staying in Rachel's kitchen, or visiting the Underworld even more frequently.
The day of their arrival, Percy lugged their things into the room Rachel had prepared for them, ignoring Nico, who was in the kitchen cooking something, and ignored him as well. Finally, Rachel and Annabeth came into the apartment from where they had been talking in the hall. Rachel headed off to go tell Percy something about hardwood floors, and how her father would kill her if they were permanently damaged, so scratch them, but don't scratch them too much. Annabeth, however, broke away from Rachel and walked to the kitchen on the far wall to attempt to speak with Nico.
He was facing her, stirring something in a bowl.
"That smells good," Annabeth said.
"Thank you. There are four more plates already in the oven," Nico said quietly, and Annabeth looked into the bowl to see what looked like the beginning stages of fudge.
"Oh, you're talking to me again?" Annabeth quipped, sliding into a stool across the counter from Nico.
"Well, I figured I might as well make some sort of welcoming gift considering Rachel starts fires every time she enters the kitchen. Demeter did teach me some manners." Nico sighed. "And, I suppose I decided that just because you've been a irresponsible, predictable, cliched twenty-three-year old, who had unprotected sex with her equally irresponsible demigod boyfriend, doesn't mean we can't still be friends, right?" Annabeth frowned. "Wanna lick the spoon?"
Her grimace lessened slightly at his last comment, and she grabbed the spoon from him quickly, licking the remnants of fudge off of it. Nico stared at her, muttering, "And, obviously, the hormones have already kicked in."
Annabeth considered her chances of attacking Nico, but disregarded the idea, considering that at this point in the game - as hard as it was for her to admit it - the son of Hades could probably beat her in a fight, if only due to her current burgeoning condition. She decided to stick with her fudge, which was indeed much more reliable and comforting than Nico di Angelo.
"So," she said, "is the only reason you've decided to forgive me for my unspeakable betrayal because you figure you're basically stuck with me for the next six months or so?"
But before Nico could respond Rachel and Percy came back into the living room, shouting at each other. Nico rolled his eyes, and turned to the oven, which had just beeped, pulling out two of the four trays; in them sat perfectly baked mounds of fudge, which he sat on the counter in front of Annabeth, who was somewhat overexcited at the sight.
"- let you stay here, out of the goodness of my heart, and you're questioning my methods? It's my house, Jackson!" Rachel was saying, a tad loudly.
"Oh, really? 'Cause last time I checked, it was Daddy's house -"
"Don't touch!" Nico scolded Annabeth, who was leaning all the way across the counter, trying to grab the fudge. "It's hot. Patience is a virtue, all good things come to those who wait, or something."
Annabeth frowned, and got down from her stool to go stand behind the counter with Nico, who was watching the fight that was still unfolding between Percy and Rachel.
"I will have you excommunicated, Jackson!" Rachel was half-shouting.
"I'm aware of the fact that you enjoy lording all the big words you know that I don't over my head, but I'm pretty sure you have no idea what that word means," Percy threw back.
"I'd forgotten how bad they could be," Nico said, more to himself than Annabeth. "I suppose we're lucky you ended up with him - even if your bastard child is the result."
Annabeth, meanwhile, appeared more distraught by the scene than Nico. He looked at her in disbelief.
"Oh, come on, Annabeth. You cannot be going all baby hormone crazy this early in the game." He shook his head.
"Stop it!" Annabeth was saying, only to be ignored by Rachel and Percy, who were currently shoving each other back and forth like children on a playground. "Nico!" she said, slapping him hard on the chest, making him wince. "Make them stop it!"
"Busy," Nico said, continuing to stand there, doing nothing aside from waiting for the trays of fudge to cool off and watching Rachel and Percy's fight.
"Make them stop!" she said again, shoving Nico, who only moved an inch.
"Why don't you make them stop?" Nico said. "I thought you liked doing things on your own. You are really not acting like yourself."
Annabeth punched Nico in the arm for good measure, and then turned back to Rachel and Percy, who were gesticulating wildly over what, from her vantage point, appeared to be nothing at all.
"STOP IT!" Annabeth yelled at them both, and when she got no reaction, she looked around for something to throw at them, and her eyes settled on one of the trays of fudge. She grabbed for it, Nico not noticing quickly enough, picked it up, and -
And dropped it. "Hot!" she hissed through clenched teeth, and sprinted - hand cradled against her chest - to the kitchen sink.
Nico looked longingly at the tray of ruined fudge on the floor, ruined on the floor, close to Rachel and Percy, who were looking back and forth between the tray and Annabeth bemusedly, broken out of their rage-induced oblivion.
"So, this counts as a healthy environment for a pregnant woman, does it?" Annabeth asked bitingly, holding her hand under a stream of freezing cold water. Rachel shot her an apologetic look, Percy went over to assess the damage, and Nico braced himself for a very long six months.
-o-
It was a month later that Annabeth finally started showing, yet only slightly. Luckily in the prior weeks they had all gotten along a bit better, at least with no more scenes of ruined fudge or burned pregnant woman.
Nico was back on the same terms he had been on with Annabeth and Percy before they broke the news of her pregnancy - having a sort of best friend/brother relationship with Percy, and a maternal/sisterly affection with Annabeth, accompanied with all the arguing and disagreements that came along with such relationships.
Percy and Rachel were back to their usual easy friendship, petty argument forgotten. Annabeth and Rachel got along as good as ever (or at least since the end of the second Titan war), in a sort of girlish manner that surprised all parties involved.
Nico and Rachel were as weird as ever, and Percy and Annabeth were still wondering what exactly was going on with them. The two in question had officially met when he was seventeen and she was twenty-one, and had become good friends, bonding over the fact that Annabeth and Percy were totally gross, and apparently did not understand the great concept of get a room. So, due to this, he was already a regular fixture at Rachel's. However, when he had turned nineteen, Percy and Annabeth had realized he was actually living there, not just visiting anymore. Rachel and Nico said this was simply Rachel and her charity striking once again, and wouldn't say any more on the matter, always managing to divert. Percy and Annabeth knew there was more to it, of course, but had enough on their plates to let it go for a while, as intrigued as they were. So, at least for the time being, Rachel's household was devoid of meddling.
Oddly enough, in all their peace and quiet, they didn't even think to factor immortal parents into the equation, and it is never a good idea to forget about the immortal, all-powerful parents.
So one day, an absurdly quiet one, actually (so quiet they really should have realized that the shit was about the start raining down upon them), the doorbell rang.
The thing about Rachel's apartment was: the doorbell did not ring. Her father let himself in, Nico shadow traveled in (like a total creep, as Rachel put it), and Percy and Annabeth also had a key. So as a result, the three demigods and Oracle looked at the door as if it were an explosive no one dare touch, Percy and Nico tensing like they were ready to lunge for their swords, and Rachel poised as if about to grab the nearest object that could potentially be used as a bludgeoning instrument. Annabeth, however, was enjoying the fact that as a pregnant woman, she didn't really have to do anything other than make sure no harm came to her child, an interesting and somewhat-unsettling new mode of behavior for her.
"Nico," Rachel began slowly. "I think you should probably answer the door."
"Why me?" Nico complained.
"Because," Rachel said, "Annabeth's pregnant, so we must think of her child. Percy's the father of said child, so he really can't afford to die now, before the birth of his kid!"
"Percy's older," Nico huffed petulantly.
"Better safe than sorry," Rachel said.
"Why don't you go?"
"I'm the Oracle," Rachel said, with such a tone of finality that it was as if she believed her response was the answer to all the world's questions.
Nico, muttering something about never trusting redheads and family, got up from his spot on the floor next to Rachel (where they had just been sitting, a Monopoly board between them), and headed toward the door, which rang again.
Nico didn't even bother looking through the eye hole before opening the door, and froze when he saw who it was. Rachel, Percy, and Annabeth, however, couldn't see who was at the door due to the fact that the front door was down a small hallway which was obscured from view.
The goddess looked Nico up and down with a sort of distaste in her expression (quite similar to the look she reserved for Percy Jackson), and rolled her eyes when she saw his expression.
"You can't really be so surprised," Athena said to him.
"I beg to differ," said Nico, immediately wanting to kick himself, considering that probably wasn't the wisest thing to say to a goddess who had already been giving him a firm look of dislike.
"Do you?" she said. She looked him up and down again, like she was reading a blueprint. "You're Hades' son, correct?"
Nico nodded dumbly.
"Hmm," she mused. "You do look like him a bit."
Then, she threw the briefcase she was holding into his arms, pushed him to the side, and marched into the apartment.
"Percy!" Nico yelled, in an act of camaraderie. "It's her."
"Mother!" Annabeth practically shrieked, her voice about three octaves higher than usual. "What are you, um, doing here?"
"Oh, Annabeth," Athena said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "I think we all know the answer to that." She turned to Percy, who was wearing a stunned expression. "Even the Son of Poseidon knows why I'm here, and he's not the most electrically charged atom on the table."
"What?" Rachel mouthed to Nico, who had appeared back from the hallway, and shook his head.
"Mother," Annabeth began quickly, "it's okay! Really, I'm happy about the child, I am, and I was going to tell you soon, but I - I just -"
"Save your breath, Annabeth," Athena said, her gaze not holding any of the annoyance it had when she'd looked at Percy, which seemed to calm Annabeth down a bit. "I'm here to simply tell you what will be happening."
"What will be...happening?" Percy repeated
"Yes," Athena snapped. "Now, I'm not going to kill the boy, even though I'd like to, because I know that would, unfortunately, displease you, Annabeth. So, instead, you two shall be getting married."
"Married?" Annabeth, Percy, Rachel, and Nico said in unison.
"You must have already been considering it," Athena said calmly.
"Well, yeah, I guess..." Annabeth said uncertainly.
"Then there shouldn't be a problem," Athena said coolly. "I myself don't believe in the institution of marriage, or traditional childbirth for that matter, but I do believe it is the smartest plan of action for you two." She looked over at Percy then, who looked positively defiant and said, "Is there a problem, boy?"
"No," Percy said. "I just hadn't really planned on some goddess planning my wedding like it was up to her."
"Percy!" Rachel snapped before anyone else could respond. "That is not an appropriate way to talk to your soon-to-be-Mother-in-Law."
"Hear hear," Nico said.
"Indeed, Oracle," Athena agreed, glaring at Percy.
"What's in the case?" Nico asked suddenly, causing everyone to turn and look at him. He raised the briefcase that Athena had shoved into his arms then.
"Go ahead and look," Athena said, a small smile playing at her lips.
Nico looked at Athena, then the case, back to Athena, and the case again. He set it down cautiously on the kitchen counter, unlatched it carefully, and stared when he saw the contents.
"What is it?" Rachel asked.
"It's...money," Nico said. "A lot of money."
He walked over to the small group then, handing the briefcase to Annabeth, whose mouth dropped open much as Nico's had, as she sorted through the carefully packaged money, sorted from twenties to fifties to one-hundred dollar bills. Rachel had an immediate flashback to her father's briefcase every time he opened it. However, she recalled her usual joke of, 'So how is,/i Big Mike, Daddy?' from this occasion, guessing the goddess would not find it amusing, and would probably not like being called Daddy.
"Mother," Annabeth breathed.
"Think nothing of it," Athena said, arms crossed over her crisp white blouse. "However, I won't even begin to tell you how difficult it is to exchange drachmas for this ridiculous mortal money you all use nowadays."
Percy looked absolutely dumbstruck. He had never seen so much money together at once, except for in films, and he thought that if he ever did in real life it would be with Rachel while she sifted through her monthly allowance from her father (which she earned simply by not answering any questions reporters asked her, and not going out in public with Nico. And she didn't even abide the second rule, yet was managing to keep her father from knowing that, at least for the time being). He was completely dumbstruck, and he even felt a little bad for being snarky with Athena earlier. Besides, it wasn't like he didn't want to marry Annabeth. He just didn't like being told what to do, especially under the presumption that he was some sort of useless nobody that should be grateful towards patronizing treatment, treatment that was even more infuriating considering the fact that he'd proved he wasn't time and time again.
"Lady Athena," Percy managed, surprised when he didn't stammer. "We can't -"
"Oh, yes, you can," Athena cut him off. "No grandchild of mine is going to be living in a one bedroom apartment infested with bugs and furniture from the Salvation Army." She shrugged. "Just think of it as an early wedding present."
Annabeth was about to say something else, when the doorbell rang again. "Nico," Annabeth, Percy, and Rachel said in unison. Athena, however, stiffened, saying nothing.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Nico said, glancing at Athena questioningly before he headed back down the short hallway to the door.
He was, to say the least, startled when he saw who was at the door this time. Apparently, one Olympian in Rachel's apartment just wasn't enough. They insisted on coming (and wreaking havoc) in packs, even if they didn't like each other. It was like some sort of unspoken code among gods.
Oh, you're humiliating that half-blood today, too? We should totally do it together. It's okay, man, I'm definitely over that time when you shot me with an arrow (on purpose) two-thousand years ago. No hard feelings, bro.
Well. Perhaps he was exaggerating a bit.
"I don't think you want to be here," was all he could think to say.
"Well, that is no way to greet a guest," Poseidon said, leaning against the doorway and tsking.
"But -"
"I know she's here. That's why I came. Might as well get it all out in the open, you know? Confrontation's good every once in a while."
Nico frowned. "I hate confrontation."
"Then you are very much like your father that way." Poseidon paused, looking Nico up and down the way Athena had minutes ago. "You are Hades son, correct?"
Nico nodded, much as he had with Athena.
"Hmm," Poseidon mused, just as Athena had, but much more jubilantly. "You do look like him a bit."
Then, throwing a long arm around Nico's shoulders, he led him into the living room. Nico - wondering whether or not Poseidon had mimicked Athena's exact words on purpose, or if it was just another one of those giant cosmic jokes the universe seemed to enjoy playing on him - didn't protest.
"Percy, Annabeth!" Poseidon said happily when they reached the living room, smiling at them all, his arm still around Nico's shoulders, who was looking rather uncomfortable. "And, of course, Rachel and Athena."
Rachel smiled back tentatively, but Athena glared at him like she was working on mentally burning a hole through his skull. Well, Nico thought, this explained why she had tensed.
"Poseidon," she spat. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was just talking to my nephew here about the necessity of confrontation," Poseidon said, eyes twinkling. "However, why I'm here, on this Earth, existing as I do, is a question for the ages, one that could be debated on for centuries on end -"
"Uncle!" Athena said, appearing to attempt some form of endearment if just to shut him up. "This is no time to embrace Apollo's fondness towards philosophical ramblings. You must know already what I have told Annabeth and your son."
"Indeed I do, Niece," Poseidon said, smiling wryly. "And I stand completely behind it. I absolutely adore weddings. Did you know that, Nico?" Nico looked like he'd rather be at Christmas dinner with Persephone in that moment, but made an attempt at shrugging under Poseidon's large arm. "Anyway, it will be hard to beat your wedding gift, Athena, but I am set on topping it!"
"Yes, it seems you've been set on beating me since Athens," Athena said coolly. Rachel, Percy, and Annabeth were watching this scene like it was a particularly horrible car wreck, and Nico was looking like he was trying to think of someway to get out of Poseidon's grasp, and out of the line of fire.
Poseidon's smile twitched and faltered, his eyes getting harder, but he regained his composure quickly. His eyes crinkled as he smiled wider than ever, saying, "Well, you know Athens. I mean, how much faith can you put in a state that ordered for Socrates to be executed? Doesn't seem very logical, does it? I know how you love your logic, and your philosophers, Athena, dear. And even before that, picking an Olive tree! That Olive tree didn't get them very far during the plague, did it? Now what they could have used was some good, clean, fresh, salt water! With all that filth, how could one plague or another not crop up, really? A nice tidal wave could have really cleaned things up, though -"
"Dad!" Percy said quickly, for he was certain Athena had actually begun to grow in size, and Rachel's father would probably not be too pleased with a huge, god-shaped hole in the ceiling. "Is the only reason you're here to, er, congratulate us?"
"Well, that is one reason, but, alas, not the only. I'm also here to tell you that I've gotten that Gardner girl - Demeter's child - to agree to plan your wedding. I've covered all the charges, don't worry - even though the nice girl said she'd do it for free - and that's only the first of my gifts to you two, as I said."
Athena looked like she was fully considering lunging, grabbing Nico, and using him to knock Poseidon senseless.
Instead of doing this, she said, "When does the girl think the wedding should be ready?"
"Oh, end of the month. I think we're all in the interest of your girl walking down the aisle before she's blatantly pregnant."
Annabeth blushed to her hairline.
"Anyway, what was I saying about weddings again? Oh, yes - I absolutely adore weddings. Especially these demigod ones. Why, the whole family gets together for demigod weddings. It's quite unbelievable to us that any of you could stand one another enough to actually tie the sacred knot with each other, so we do enjoy seeing it for ourselves. Why, I'm sure Hades and Persephone will even come up for this one! She does love parties after all, and Hades isn't completely dull - well, no, Persephone really does just love parties."
"Great," Nico said, looking like he was about to be sick.
"Indeed!" Poseidon said. "It's almost as mind boggling that you shall be Percy's best man," he said to Nico. "You see, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but children of us 'Big Three' gods really tend to not get along, so this will be one for the books." Poseidon apparently thought Nico being Percy's best man was a predetermined fact, and no one was about to argue with the god of the sea.
"I, frankly, can't wait," Rachel said, earning a glare from Percy, Annabeth, and Nico.
"That's the spirit!" Poseidon practically cried.
"Well," Athena said, clearly not in such high spirits as Poseidon. "I shall be going now. I'll be in touch," she said to Annabeth then, ignoring Percy completely. "Before the wedding and, of course, during and after. I suggest you contact the Gardner girl soon." And then, just as she had at the end of the second Titan War with Percy, she broke into a column of flames, and was gone.
"She was always a cheerful one," Poseidon said, although there was no detectable sarcasm in his voice. If anything, there was a note of sentiment. "Well then," he said, slapping Nico on the arm, who winced. "I'll be off as well, and shall keep in touch, too."
"Always when Athena's here?" Percy asked sharply.
"Of course," Poseidon said, finally releasing Nico, who went to sit by Rachel again. "Annabeth, Percy - congratulations. Really. I'm quite excited for you two to have another one of my many, many grandchildren." He turned to Rachel and Nico then, and said, "And congratulations to you two, as well."
And then he was gone, in a breeze that smelled like ocean water.
"Why did he congratulate you two?" Annabeth demanded, looking over at Rachel and Nico, who looked stunned.
"He must be talking about the new Monopoly board," Nico suggested after a few moments.
"Oh yeah," Rachel agreed quickly. "Look, it's the Famous Artists Edition. Just got it yesterday." She nodded. "Which piece do you want to be this time, Nico? Michelangelo's David, or this little swirly piece? I think it's supposed to be Starry Night, but I could be wrong."
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